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January was , so we’re spotlighting our Board of Trustees and all the great work they do. This year the theme is “Leadership for Tomorrow’s Texas.”

Today we’re spotlighting school board trustee David Wilbanks, who has been on the board since 2019.

What are you most excited about for the district in 2025?

Without a doubt, the development of our new strategic plan. We have a brand-new superintendent who has taken the time to assess where we are as a district and identified our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. His assessment validates a lot of what we knew this district was great at. However, it also exposed some systemic challenges within the district that surprised us along with opportunities for improvement. Now it is time for us as a district to address those findings in a new strategic plan – one that creates alignment with the community’s vision for this district, the findings from our SWOT analysis, and our board’s desire to provide the best education possible for all students. I am excited for the work ahead.

What do you think sets the 91��Ƭ�� apart from other school districts?

Our diversity is key to understanding what is unique about Arlington. Arlington is one of the most diverse cities in the country and our student body represents that diversity. In Arlington, we leverage that diversity into a strength and something we are proud of. 

We also pride ourselves in giving any student, no matter their background, pathways to turn their dreams into reality. Our early college high schools – Arlington Collegiate High School and Arlington College and Career High School – are great examples of that. Both campuses allow students to graduate high school with a two-year associate degree. The national average for students earning associate degrees along with their high school diploma in such programs is around 40%. Our students are graduating each year with associate degrees in the 80 to 90% range. Both campuses are doing phenomenal work. 

What do you think of the upcoming legislative session?

I am sanguine that if we get a voucher system, it will have the appropriate guardrails in place for both financial and academic accountability. Similar ESA systems in other states have mushroomed and exploded state budgets. They also tend to be fraught with fraud and waste. Arizona reported that some parents were purchasing $10,000 LED televisions with their vouchers as an “educational expense” for their children. If our tax dollars are going into an ESA system, that system has to have the same accountability oversight as in public education. We all need to play by the same rules. 

The theme for this Board Appreciation Month is “Leadership for Tomorrow’s Texas.” How vital a role does a board play in the success of a school district?

It is critical. We are in charge of hiring a superintendent whose vision for the district is aligned with both the board and the community’s vision and values. We evaluate how well the superintendent is meeting our board-adopted priorities each year. And we set the long-term strategy of the district through our strategic plan.

The tone and leadership style of our board also sets the tone for the district. When there is discord on the board and we are not leading in a unified way, it can create the kind of tumult we, unfortunately, see in other districts. In those districts, it is the students who lose. We work hard on our board culture because we know we set the example for the entire district.

Do you have a favorite place to get pizza in Arlington? 

Yes. I am a sucker for Neapolitan-style pizza, so of course Canne Rosso is a favorite of mine. However, I sometimes prefer a good New York-style pie. For that, you can’t go wrong with Moni’s.

I am also a big fan of Lebanese-style pizza (mana’eesh). In Pantego, at the corner of Pioneer and Bowen, we have a great Lebanese bakery conveniently called Mana’Eesh. They make a great Cheese and Zaatar mana-eesh and a delicious ground beef Mana’eesh. On Saturdays, I’ll pick up three or four in the morning after I get my coffee to have them available for whenever everyone else wakes up around noon. I like to augment the cheese and zaatar at home with tomatoes and onions. You should try it!